ContractorHandbook

How Much Insulation for a 24x24 Garage?

Bags or rolls

7 bags

The four walls of a 24 by 24 garage at 8 foot plate height, 96 linear feet of wall, framed at 16 inches on center.

It does not stop at a number.

When the figures look right, the insulation material list downloads as a real PDF with your business details on it, built inside your own browser. Nothing you type is uploaded anywhere.

on centerwall lengthgross area x framing factor / coverage per bag = bags
Insulation goes in the cavity, not on the wall, and the studs are about a tenth of the wall. That framing factor is the difference between the area you measure and the area you actually have to fill.

How that number is worked out

These are the figures this page was built with and every line the calculator produces from them. Change anything above and all of it moves.

  • Wall or ceiling area768 sq ft
  • Stud or joist spacing16 in
  • Coverage per bag or roll106.8 sq ft

Bags or rolls7 bags

Gross area768 sq ft
Framing factor at 16 in oc90%
Cavity area to insulate691 sq ft
Bags at 106.8 sq ft7
Coverage bought748 sq ft

The material list this produces

Insulation batts, bags7
Vapor retarder, sq ft (if required)768

Coverage per bag compared

Bag coverage is the number that decides this, and it is printed on the bag. Here is the same area at five common coverages.

Coverage per bagBags or rollsCoverage bought
40 sq ft18 bags720 sq ft
50 sq ft14 bags700 sq ft
75 sq ft10 bags750 sq ft
90 sq ft8 bags720 sq ft
106.8 sq ft7 bags748 sq ft

What else matters here

A 24 by 24 garage has 96 linear feet of wall, which at an 8 foot plate height is 768 square feet gross. Take the framing out and there are 691 square feet of cavity, so seven bags does the walls.

That number is the walls only and it makes no deduction for the overhead door, which on a two car garage is typically 16 by 7 feet, about 112 square feet. If the door wall is being insulated as framed wall above and beside the opening, deduct the opening and you will drop a bag.

The ceiling is a separate order. A 24 by 24 ceiling is 576 square feet gross and usually wants a deeper, higher R value batt than the walls do, which means different coverage per bag and a different count.

What this calculator assumes

  • Framing takes up roughly 10 percent of a wall at 16 inch on center and 7 percent at 24. Cavity area is reduced accordingly, so you do not buy insulation for the studs.
  • Bag coverage varies a lot by R value and width. The default is a common R-13 kraft faced batt bag; read your own bag and change it.

Questions people ask

How many bags of insulation for a 24x24 garage?

Seven bags for the walls, based on 768 square feet of gross wall area and 691 square feet of cavity. The ceiling is extra.

Do I deduct the garage door?

Yes, if you are insulating only the framed wall. A 16 by 7 foot door is about 112 square feet of wall you are not filling, which is worth a bag.

How much does one bag of batts cover?

It is printed on the bag and it moves with R value and width. The default here is a common R-13 kraft faced batt bag at 106.8 square feet. Change it to whatever you are actually buying before you trust the count.

Different numbers?

The insulation calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.

Other common sizes